Foods that Fight Inflammation

Confused about how diet can lower inflammation? These tasty foods reduce inflammation while helping you heal.

Need more motivation to try these super foods?

Reducing inflammation will help your brain stay sharp as you age.

People with high inflammation levels are more likely to suffer dementia at an earlier age. Systemic inflammation (also called metainflammation) can accelerate cognitive (mental) decline later in life. A study of 12,336 Black and White women and men found that those with the highest concentrations of inflammation markers (fibrinogen, white blood cell count, von Willebrand factor, factor VIII and C-reactive protein) at midlife had the biggest decreases on thinking and memory tests 20 years later (Walker et al. 2019).

Basically, whole body inflammation is correlated with declining cognitive and/or reasoning power. Anti-inflammatory diets prevent damage by reducing brain and nervous system inflammation (also called neuroinflammation). So do your future self a favor and add anti-inflammatory foods to your menu.

Excess inflammation is linked to subjective aging.

Subjective aging is how people perceive their own aging as they move into adulthood and old age. It is how old or young a person feels; irrespective of their true chronological age. This has been shown to influence both how well people age and whether they practice preventive health behaviors.

People who believe they are aging well and who feel younger take better care of themselves and get more exercise. They end up being healthier as they age.

Conversely, people who think they are going to be unhealthy as they get older are less likely to take care of themselves and more likely to be unhealthy (Westerhof et al. 2023). You are literally as healthy as you feel.

Subjective inflammation is positively associated with systemic inflammation and pro-and anti-inflammatory cytokines (Stephan et al. 2022). In other words, people with more inflammation FEEL older.

Foods that combat inflammation:

• Berries
• Dairy (milk, yogurt and whey)
• Cruciferous vegetables
• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Mushrooms
• Grapes
• Cherries
• Apples
• Avocado
• Chocolate
• Fatty fish
• Walnuts
• Chia seeds
• Flax seeds
• Find out which fats heal your inflammation here!
• Foods to avoid

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Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a rich source of lycopene, a bright red pigment also found in watermelons, pink grapefruit, and papaya. Lycopene is a potent antioxidant that inhibits the production of chemicals called cytokines that promote inflammation.

Young women who were obese or overweight consumed about 1 1/3 cup of tomato juice a day for 20 days. Concentrations of two chemicals that are considered markers of inflammation, interleukin 8 (IL-8) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), were significantly reduced in the overweight group drinking tomato juice (Ghavipour et al. 2012). High levels of IL-8 attract and activate neutrophils (immune cells) in areas with inflammation. TNF-a signaling is associated with chronic inflammation and can eventually lead to the development of pathological complications such as autoimmune diseases

Foods that reduce IL-8 may lower whole body inflammation and help prevent complications from COVID-19. COVID-19 causes metainflammation and pulmonary (lung) inflammation. Elevated IL-8 levels, which occurs in COVID-19, have also been associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (Cesta et al. 2021).

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Peppers

Red peppers (Capsicum species) are rich in flavonoids like luteolin and apigenin. They have anti-inflammatory benefits and could be useful to prevent oxidative stress and inflammation related disorders (Hernández-Ortega et al. 2012, Cho et al. 2020). Capsicum and gut microbiota work together. Studies in mice showed that capsicum's anti-obesity effect is due to how it prevents microbial dysbiosis, gut barrier dysfunction, and chronic low-grade whole body inflammation (Kang et al. 2017).

Be aware of allergies. While these members of the nightshade family can be anti-inflammatory they can also be allergenic. Often people think they have arthritis and they have a nightshade allergy. If you are allergic to anything in the nightshade family be cautious of the other members. The nightshade family includes eggplants, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, tomatillo, and tobacco. Eating foods you are allergic to can cause isolated or whole body inflammation. Inflammation can lead to arthritis or other disorders.

Nightshades contain small amounts of alkaloids. Some alkaloids can be dangerous in higher amounts. For example, green potatoes contain high amounts of solanine, a glycoalkaloid poison, which can make people sick. Solanine is used as an insecticide by plants. Small amounts of solanine are also present in other nightshades.

Normally the amount of solanine in foods is too small to be of concern. Toxic levels for a 200 pound person is around 0.28 grams solanine (about the amount in 20 pounds of regular potatoes). A fully green 16 oz potato would be enough to make a small 100 pound person sick, however (find out more information from the University Nebraska Extension pamphlet Pavlista 2001). If the potato tastes bitter, don't eat it! To prevent potatoes from turning green store in the dark.

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Berries

Berries are delicious and great for you. They are even high in fiber (take that bran muffin)! Frozen berries are easy to keep on hand and a great way to prevent waste.

Pick any edible berry you like. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, blackberries, goji berries, sea buckthorn and other berries all contain vitamins, minerals, fiber, phytonutrients, and polyphenols including flavonoids. Polyphenols are beneficial compounds found in many plant foods.

Berry-derived polyphenols modulate gut microbiota while managing inflammation, cancer, and metabolic disorders (Bouyahya et al 2022). Gut microbiota are all the micro-organisms found in the digestive tract. Gut modulation helps to restore disrupted or depleted microbiota in the gut which can increase health.

Flavonoids are pigments responsible for the bright beautiful colors seen in plants and their fruits. Anthocyanins are blue, red and purple flavonoids that are anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, anticancer, and antimicrobial (Alappat and Alappat 2020). These gorgeous pigments also decrease cardiovascular risk and death (Kalt et al. 2020).

Consuming moderate amounts of blueberries (1/3 cup) and their anthocyanins (<50 mg) daily is associated with a reduced risk of disease (Kalt et al. 2020). See below for a list of anthocyanin content of different berries. Anthocyanins in berries and fruits can vary quite a bit due to different growing conditions.

Berries help protect against lung (pulmonary) disorders by increasing nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). See mechanisms below.

Flavonols and flavan-3-ols are also types of berry flavonoids. These antioxidants have cardioprotective, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic properties (Bouyahya et al 2022).

By the way, did you know that raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and mulberries are actually not berries in the botanical sense? All of these are aggregate fruit (fruits consisting of multiple smaller fruits) except strawberries. Strawberries are an accessory fruit. The part we eat is actually formed from the flower. For our purposes we will call them all berries!

Anthocyanin content of different berries*

100 grams = around 1/2 - 2/3 cup berries

• blackberry (100-245 mg./100 g)
• black currents (100-127 mg./100 g)
• chokecherry (1.4-1.8 mg./100 g)
• elderberry (1.4-1.8 mg./100 g)
• highbush blueberry (76-387 mg./100 g)
• raspberry (90-365 mg./100 g)
• saskatoon berry (562 mg./100 g)
• strawberry (21-97.5 mg./100 g)
• wild blueberry (487-558 mg./100 g)

*(from Hosseinian and Beta 2007, Kalt et al. 2020, Mattioli et al. 2020 and Ponder et al. 2021)

Why the large variation in anthocyanin content? The amount of anthocyanin depends on where and how berries are grown, as well as berry varieties. The more colorful a fruit or berry, the more healthy pigments it contains.

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Dairy

Consuming dairy has an anti-inflammatory activity in people with metabolic disorders but a pro-inflammatory activity in people allergic to cow milk (Bordoni et al. 2017). So dairy is great if you tolerate it, BUT don't use dairy if you are allergic.

Note: lactose intolerance is different than milk allergy. People who are lactose intolerant can often consume small amounts of milk, yogurts, hard cheeses and milk proteins (whey and casein).

Korean men and women (398,877 people) who consumed more yogurt and/or milk had a significantly lower risk of metabolic syndrome than those who consumed the least dairy (Jin and Je 2021).

Yogurt

Eat yogurt to reduce inflammation. Full fat plain yogurts with added live cultures are best. One of the best yogurts for people with metabolic disorders is Greek yogurts. Plain Greek yogurt has twice the protein and about half the sugar when compared to plain low fat yogurt. The worst yogurt is buy is low fat or zero fat yogurts. These yogurts replace fat with sugar.

Eating yogurt of any kind is associated with lower levels of chronic inflammation (Yuan et al. 2021). This may be due to the calcium, magnesium, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and probiotics in yogurt (see Yuan et al. 2021 for discussion).

Greek yogurt is an excellent protein source for vegetarians.

Whey

Whey protein reduces chronic inflammation and has antioxidant properties (Brimelow et al. 2017, Hashemilar et al. 2020). Older adults (50-80 years old) with sarcopenia and pre-frailty who consumed a whey protein supplement (30 grams a day or more) had reduced circulating interleukin-6 (IL-6); a pro-inflammatory signalling chemical. (Prokopidis et al. 2023). People with pre-frailty have weight loss, exhaustion, low physical activity, slowness and weakness. Pre-frailty can be related to pro inflammatory diets (Resciniti et al. 2019, Kim and Park 2018).

Whey improved blood pressure and vascular function in people who are overweight and obese (Pal and Ellis 2010). Consuming a whey drink decreased blood pressure in young people with hypertension or prehypertension (Fluegel et al. 2010). Supplemental whey also improved glycemic control and serum lipoproteins in people with MetS and related inflammatory disorders (Amirani et al. 2020).

An interesting study found that when men ate whey protein mixed with an equal amount of glucose it helped moderate blood sugar (glucose). Healthy older men (around 78 years old) without diabetes consumed either 30 grams of whey protein; 30 grams of whey protein plus 30 grams of glucose (which is just over 7 teaspoons); or 30 grams of glucose by itself. When the men ate whey protein and glucose together their blood glucose rose slower than when the men ate glucose by itself (Obero et al. 2022).

If you are allergic to milk you may also be allergic to whey so see how it makes you feel. Don't consume foods you are allergic to since it will cause inflammation (and usually makes you feel bad as well). People with lactose intolerance can normally consume purified whey since the lactose, or milk sugar, is removed from whey isolate.

Grass fed whey is the gold standard but expensive. A more economical option is plain unflavored whey.

Wild Cattle at Chillingham Sir Edwin Landseer, R.A.

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Cruciferous vegetables

Diets high in cruciferous vegetables; such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts and kale; reduced interleukin (IL)-6, a marker of inflammation in young people (Navarro et al. 2014).

In a study of over 1000 middle aged Chinese women (mean age 58 years), higher intakes of these vegetables decreased tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and IL-6, all markers of inflammation (Jiang et al. 2014).

Two antioxidant-rich carotenoids found in some cruciferous vegetables, lutein and zeaxanthin, are able to cross the blood-brain barrier and accumulate in the brain. Lutein and zeaxanthin supplementation improves learning and memory (Johnson 2012). You can find these antioxidants in green and orange vegetables such as spinach, kale, squash, peas, broccoli, corn, Brussel sprouts, pumpkin, asparagus, Romaine lettuce, carrots, pistachios and egg yolks.

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Mushrooms

Mushrooms have high levels of anti-inflammatory components. These include phenolic and indolic compounds, mycosteroids, fatty acids, carotenoids, vitamins, polysaccharides, proteoglucans, terpenoids, phenolic compounds, steroids, lectins, and biometals (like iron, zinc, copper, selenium, and magnesium) (Elsayed et al. 2014, Muszyńska et al. 2018).

Medicinal mushrooms could be helpful in fighting COVID-19 and Long-COVID (discussion in Hetland et al. 2021).

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Grapes

Grape polyphenols, especially resveratrol, reduce inflammation by modifying nitric oxide (NO) through several mechanisms (Hsieh et al. 1999, Modzelewska et al. 2022). NO plays a huge role in cardiovascular health. Resveratrol modulates gut microbiota, protects against cytotoxic chemicals, and helps control stem cell proliferation and differentiation. This super antioxidant suppresses pro-inflammatory molecules like tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) and interleukin-17 (IL-17). It inhibits hypoxia inducible factor-1a (HIF-1a) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), both of which are over produced in chronic inflammation. These actions may explain resveratrol anti-inflammatory actions (Salehi et al. 2018, Repossi et al. 2020).

By the way, consumption of 100 mL of either grape juice or red wine (dealcoholized) reduced oxidative stress in people (15 people, 18-35 years old). However, red wine reduced the health (viability) of cells while grape juice increased the viability of cells by inhibiting harmful H2O2 production of reactive species (Copetti et al. 2018). So pick the grape juice!

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Cherries

Cherries, especially sour cherries, are high in polyphenols and other anti-inflammatory compounds. Polyphenols; found in fruits, vegetables, coffee, tea, and chocolate; have cardioprotective effects due to their anti-inflammatory, hypolipidemic, and antioxidant properties (Zern and Fernandez 2005). Eating cherries inhibits inflammatory pathways while decreasing C-reactive protein (CRP) and nitric oxide (NO) (discussion in Ferretti et al. 2010).

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Apples

Apples are rich in fiber and antioxidants. Compared to people who ate no apples, eating three small Gala apples a day for 6 weeks decreased whole body inflammation in people who were obese or overweight. Eating apples significantly increased plasma total antioxidant capacity while decreasing several markers of inflammation including fasting CRP, IL-6, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-binding protein (Liddle et al. 2021). LPS-binding protein interacts with the innate immune response and promotes inflammatory and infectious-related diseases.

Apples and strawberries contain high concentrations of fisetin. Fisetin sounds like an exotic type of fighting but is actually a bioactive flavonol molecule that acts as a powerful antioxidant (Khan et al. 2013, Kubina et al. 2022). This antioxidant protects brain function in several ways including: increasing levels of glutathione (the body's internal antioxidant), maintaining energy levels in mitochondria which are under oxidative stress, blocked microglial cells from producing inflammatory nitric oxide (good discussion in Maher 2009).

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Avocado

Avocados have a low glycemic index rating so they do not raise blood sugar concentrations. This tasty green 'fruit' is actually a big green berry with a large single seed. It contains monounsaturated fats, carotenoids, oleic acid and many other compounds that can reduce inflammation. Avocados also contain an extremely high amount of lutein and zeaxanthin. Both lutein and zeaxanthin can cross the blood brain barrier.

Lutein levels in the macular pigment and the brain are related to better cognition. Macular pigment is found in the center of the retina and protects your eyes by absorbing damaging blue light. A dietary intervention where women and men (average age 63 years) ate one avocado a day improved cognitive function (improved sustained attention) and increased levels of lutein in the brain when compared to the control subjects who ate either potatoes or chickpeas (Scott et al. 2017).

For a good discussion of the health benefits of avocado see Bhuyan et al. 2019

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Chocolate

Chocolate is high in antioxidants. Buy dark chocolate (65% or higher) if you are avoiding added sugars.

Consuming any chocolate helps decrease your risks of metabolic diseases. Chocolate intake is correlated with decreased risks of heart disease (CHD), stroke, and diabetes (Yuan et al. 2017).

A small human study by Sumiyoshi et al. 2019 reported that 24 grams (0.85 oz) of dark chocolate enhanced cognitive function in Japanese college students (20 men and women, 20-31 years old). The dark chocolate increased levels of plasma nerve growth factor (NGF) when compared to the base line and to white chocolate. NGF promotes and regulates the growth, maintenance, proliferation, and survival of neurons.

Another study found that young adults (98 women and men, 18-24 years old) had improved verbal memory 2 hours after consuming a 35 gram Green and Black's dark chocolate bar when compared to a 35 gram white chocolate control (Lamport et al. 2020).

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Painting of Fish China, early 19th century.

Fatty Fish

Fatty fish are healthy and some varieties are inexpensive. Fatty fish include salmon, sardines, mackerel, fish roe, sablefish, herring, anchovies, tuna, trout, and kippers.

Fatty fish contain omega-3 fatty acids (FAs). Your body cannot physically make omega-3 FAs so you need to include them in your diet. There are main types of omega-3 FAs: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated (PUFA). Types of omega-3 FAs include eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). All these fats are essential for brain functions (Zivkovic et al. 2014)

Your brain needs fat. A normal brain contains 50-60% fat. Around 35% of the lipids in your brain are omega-3 FAs.

Omega-3 FAs influence cognitive performance. A recent review of nine studies (1319 women and men) found that taking omega-3 fatty acids increased cognitive well-being, learning, memory, and brain blood flow (discussion Dighriri et al. 2022).

One study found that taking 900 mg of DHA daily for six months improved memory and learning in older people with age-related cognitive decline (485 women and men over 55 years) (Yurko-Mauro et al. 2010). For reference, you can get over 900 mg DHA in 3 ozs of any of the fatty fish listed in the first paragraph.

If you feel lonely eat fish.

So here is a interesting fact; lonely people have memory problems when compared to non-lonely people. However, when lonely people (138 women and men, average 51 years old) took a 1.25 g or 2.5 g of omega-3 FAs supplement for four months their memory was not different than that of non-lonely people (Jaremka et al. 2014). Taking omega-3 FAs attenuated (prevented) loneliness-caused long-term (episodic) memory problems.

See fats to heal inflammation for more on omega-3 fats.

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Walnuts, chia seeds, and flax seeds

Walnuts, chia seeds and flax seeds all contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). ALA lowers cholesterol, prevents blood clotting (antithrombotic), reduces the risk of strokes and lowers inflammation (discussion Ros et al. 2018). ALA protects microglial cells against inflammation; inflammation can activate glia cells. Activated glia cells can cause more inflammation as well as initiate chronic pain. Click here for more on the mysterious glial cells.

Walnut consumption inhibits inflammation and prevents oxidative damages by:

1) Providing antioxidants including flavonoids, phenolic acid, folate, selenium, gamma-tocopherol, juglone, proanthocyanidins, and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

2) Increasing the biodiversity of gut bacteria. This may prevent central nervous system (CNS) inflammation.

3) Protecting microglial cells from amyloid β or lipopolysaccharides (LPS) induced inflammation. This prevents glial activation. LPS production is a potent cause of inflammation in the body. LPS binds to immune cells and stimulates them to spew out inflammatory cytokines. Likewise, amyloid β (a small protein) aggregation in the brain causes neurotoxicity.

Discussion Tan et al. 2022.

Chia seed consumption decreases C-reactive protein (CRP) (Pam et al. 2024).

CRP is is an acute inflammatory protein produced by a wide variety of cells. CPR concentrations change quickly in response to inflammation triggers including arthritis, infection, low grade inflammation, dental disorders, sleep disturbances, and mental trauma. It is used as a nonspecific measure of inflammation (Singh et al. 2025).

Eating flaxseed significantly reduces high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) (Rahimlou et al. 2019).

TNF-α regulates inflammatory disorders. Too much TNF-α can cause chronic inflammation and even lead to autoimmune disorders (Jang et al. 2021).

Read more about healthy fats here.

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Anti-inflammatory beverages

Coffee (maybe)

Whether coffee is antiinflammatory may depend on the type of coffee, how much you drink, and when you drink it. Coffee contains numerous chemical compounds. Some are good, some are neutral, and some are potentially harmful to health (Machado et al. 2024).

Currently, research suggests that drinking coffee increases glutathione levels and helps protect against DNA damage. However, the connection between drinking coffee and plasma antioxidant capacity (amount of antioxidants found in blood plasma), antioxidant enzymes, protein damage and lipid damage is still unclear (Martini et al. 2016).

Drinking coffee between 4 am and noon lowers risk of dying from any cause by 16% and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) death by 31% when compared to similar adults who don't drink coffee. Drinking coffee all day had no effect on all cause or CDV death risk (Wang et al. 2025).

Why does timing make a difference? One small study found that drinking caffinated coffee in the morning reduced melatonin production by 30% compared to non-coffee drinking controls. A reduction in melatonin decreases total both amount and quality of sleep which in turn can increase inflammation (Shilo et al. 2002). Low melatonin is also associated with higher blood pressure, increased oxidative stress levels, and higher CVD risk (discussion Wang et al. 2025). It may be that the benefits of the coffee are canceled out by the decrease in melatonin.

Tea

Like coffee, tea contains a mix of chemical compounds that range from healthy to harmful. Most have low bioavailability (Luo et al. 2023). Drinking tea has been shown to reduce the risk of some cancers, stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, and Parkinson's disease (discussion Khan and Mukhtar 2013).

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Definitions:

Anthocyanins are colorful water-soluble phenolic pigments found in plants. Anthocyanins create the red, purple, and blue colors in fruits and vegetables.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is produced by the liver; it increases when there is whole body inflammation.

Inducible transcription factors are synthesized or activated using a specific signal. They turn on their target genes and cause them to express or create different proteins.

Inflammatory mediators cause inflammation. They include nuclear factor-κB, proteins, nitric oxide, cytokines, peptides, glycoproteins, arachidonic acid metabolites (prostaglandins and leukotrienes), vasoactive peptides (kinins), phospholipid mediators (platelet activating factor), and cytokines (interleukins and other bioresponse modifiers). 

Factor VIII (FVIII) is an essential blood-clotting protein. It can increase by 2-4 fold during inflammation.

Fibrinogen is a blood clotting protein that increases during stress; high amounts can cause strokes and blood clots.

Plasma total antioxidant capacity is a measure of how many free radicals can be neutralized by a plasma or serum. Higher numbers are better because it means that more antioxidants are present to help defend against inflammation. Your total antioxidant capacity increases when you eat foods high in antioxidants.

Polyphenols are chemicals that help plants defend themselves. They can also accumulate in plant tissue when the plant is under threat from herbivores or the environment extremes like drought. Polyphenols can make plants taste bad or become toxic to herbivores. These extra polyphenols also help neutralize free radicals produced by environmental stress. These compounds can be beneficial to humans. There are over 8000 polyphenolic compounds.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are important signaling molecules that play a role in the progression of inflammatory disorders and diseases. Some ROS are needed, but too many cause inflammation.

von Willebrand factor (VWF) controls vascular inflammation. It is a biomarker of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction.

*Names and some minor identifying details in all stories in this website are changed to protect people's privacy.

This information in this website is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

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